Scipopus (Phaeopterina) metallicus, Lindsay & Marshall, 2023

Lindsay, Kate & Marshall, Stephen A., 2023, A revision of Scipopus Enderlein including the subgenera Scipopus s. str., Phaeopterina Frey and Parascipopus subgen. nov. (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 904, pp. 1-189 : 137-139

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) metallicus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0FB1911F-B642-4D16-BB16-D80AAC86614B

Fig. 60

Differential diagnosis

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) metallicus sp. nov. resembles S. (Ph.) dasypogon in having an at least partially white first fore tarsomere, a light brown epicephalon and uniformly brown legs and wings, but differs by the entirely white microtrichose clypeus, and the inner basal process on the male genital fork arms. The male thoracic pleuron of S. (Ph.) metallicus is very similar to that of S. (Ph.) fraudator sp. nov., but S. (Ph.) metallicus has uniformly brown infuscate wings.

Etymology

The species name, from the Latin adjective for ‘metallic’, refers to the metallic blue shine on the body.

Type material examined

Holotype

MEXICO • 1 ♂; Puebla, 5 mi. NE of Teziutlán , cloud forest; 5100 ft a.s.l.; 20 Jun. 1961; U. Kans. Mex. Exped.; cloud forest; SEMC (photographed, Fig. 60A, C, E ).

Paratype

MEXICO • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; SEMC .

Description

LENGTH. 15 mm.

HEAD. Palpus orange, pale microtrichose and setulose, narrow (length 5.0× height). Clypeus light brown, width ~1.5 × height, silvery microtrichose on entire surface. Frontal vitta dull, orange, microtrichose. Epicephalon light brown, shiny, bare, wide (width ⅔ or more of upper frontal vittal width at inner verticals), clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta. Paracephalon light brown. One lower fronto-orbital seta absent; all other head chaetotaxy well-developed.

THORAX. Scutum black-brown, dark brown microtrichose, with a wide, shiny, silvery median sheen. Female cervical sclerite unknown. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, sparsely setulose on outer lateral margin. Notopleuron black-brown. Pleuron black-brown with blue sheen, entirely silvery microtrichose. Legs dark brown or black; fore and hind tarsomere 1 almost entirely white. Wing uniformly brown infuscate.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Not observed.

MALE ABDOMEN. T1 with fine, long black setae. T2 with medium-length black setulae, T3–6 with short black setulae. T1+2 ~2.4 × length of T3. P1 dark brown, pleural sac dark brown, anterior half of P3 dark grey, posterior third of P3, ventral ⅔ of P4–5 and P6 off-white, upper ⅓ of P3–5 dark brown ( Fig. 60E ). T6 short, genital fork 2.5 × length of T6 with arms converging, inner basal process angled outwards, ⅓ the length of arm. Epandrium elongate (length ~2.0× height), very long setose on posteroventral margin. Basiphallus small, crescent-shaped, rounded posteriorly. Basal distiphallus long (≈ length to epandrium), broad, ending in phallic bulb. Phallic bulb elongate (length>2.0× height), large, upper chamber with small, rounded posterior projection and rounded lower chamber. Phallic bulb either terminating in tube-like opening or in very short, wide, distal distiphallus. Phallapodeme very broad and expanded apically. Anterior hypandrium very broad.

Remarks

The tube-like opening located at the posterior apex of the phallic bulb is either part of the phallic bulb, or is a very short, stout, distal distiphallus. This character state is also present in S. (Ph.) narupa sp. nov. but does not occur elsewhere in Scipopus s. lat.

Distribution

Mexico.

Figures

Fig. 60. Scipopus (Phaeopterina) metallicus sp. nov. (SEMC). A. Head, J, anterolateral view, Mexico, holotype. B. Genital fork, ventral view, Mexico, paratype. C. Head and thorax, dorsal view, holotype. D. Male terminalia, lateral view, Mexico, paratype. E. Habitus, Mexico, holotype. Abbreviations: b = basiphallus; bdp = basal distiphallus; e = epandrium; h = hypandrium; p = phallapodeme; pb = phallic bulb.